IPG Inconsistencies

[57]

I have a 9865 (NB3) running Navigatr firmware and I also utilize AnyPlace Web "Manage PVR", as well as RAPTV on my iPad. The Rogers IPG has never been very good, but most of the time it records most of my scheduled recordings. Since January 2016 (post Navigatr?) the IPG has become increasingly less reliable.  Here's a list of recent issues.

1. Before the change to DST the IPG was "incorrect" by one hour for all the scheduled recordings after the time change, as well as the programmes shown in the guide the following week. This is very confusing for people. It's also unnecessary since SARA firmware doesn't do this (I also have 8300HD PVRs.)

2. After the change to DST, programmes that were recorded on the PVR prior to the time change showed as being recorded at times different from when they were actually recorded.  Not only that, but the "recording time" would be different depending on which way you accessed the information. On the PVR itself it would be off by 1 hour. On AnyPlace it would be off by 5 hours. On RAPTV it would be off by 4 hours.

3. This week the daily recordings don't seem to be scheduling properly.  Only 1-2 days instead of 4-5. (And yes, I am aware that sometimes the guide "catches up" with these sorts of issues, but this week it hasn't and recordings have been missed because of it)

4.  I have a scheduled series recording for "Edwardian Farm" on TVO 2AM Tuesday.  The Navigatr IPG shows the programme as "Wartime Farm" with the description for an Edwardian Farm episode.  On AnyPlace or RAPTV it shows as "Edwardian Farm".  If I hadn't noticed, I would have missed recording it on my PVR due to a totally incorrect title on the 9865 IPG.

5. The PVR/AnyPlace/RAPTV uses "name based recording". The problem is that the names of the programmes are constantly changing.  This means that series recordings are missed even if one letter of the name of the programme changes. This has been going on for roughly 11 years now.  As an example, Mercer Report may become The Mercer Report.   "The Fifth Estate" has been listed about 3-4 different ways during the past 2 months!  Rogers, get your IPG provider to give us consistent programme titles. Or write proper firmware that would circumvent these issues. TiVo knows how to...

6. Many of the programmes have "generic" information in the programme description instead of what's actually airing.  For example instead of stating who the guest is on "Mansbridge One on One" it simply states that "Peter interviews Canadians"  There are similar examples for almost all interview programming and late night programming.  I do understand that this information is not always available, but it usually is and the IPG provider is missing information that's available in many places on the web.

7. Currently on Smithsonian Channel (540).  It shows TBA for the entire week.  This happens often on this and other channels..

8. For the Formula One race this weekend, there were several pre and post-race programmes. When I set these to record they showed properly on the 9865, however, on AnyPlace/RAPTV they showed totally incorrectly - as NCAA basketball or SportsCentre.  How weird is that?

9. The "new" tag that is supposed to indicate new programming is often not correct. It's often missing from new programming or it's shown as new when a programme is a repeat. (and yes I am aware that "new" is relative to that particular channel)

10. The user experience is totally different depending on which device, firmware, software, computer, browser you're using.  We should be able to see the same thing whether we're looking at the IPG or recordings at the PVR, from our computer, with our tablet, etc. However, the experience is totally different with different information showing. For example on the PVR, a programme description may show the year of production, while AnyPlace doesn't show it, or vice versa. Or the programme title/description could be competely different.  It's almost impossible for an average user to comprehend all these differences when someone like me with 14 years of heavy Rogers IPG experience and extensive experience on forums, has difficulty.

The above is but a short list of IPG problems. There are many more that I've recorded over the years, but I thought this would suffice to give Rogers some feedback regarding their IPG, which has become increasingly unreliable.  You're driving away your customers with these sorts of problems, without even mentioning Navigatr.

*** Edited Labels ***

[Meowmix]

Hello @mpfc75

I noticed that my self on my parents NextBox 3.0 and my 4K PVR box as well. We did the reboots and nothing fixed it sadly.

We called it in and have tickets open. They did say that many called about this issue. Hopefully gets fixed soon.

[websurferdude]

I believe the update a few days ago was to correct that very issue -

"Hey Community,

We have been advised that the recent firmware update was intended to resolve a minor display issue in the Navigatr guide. The update will not impact the the normal operations of the Digital box in any way." (RogersRoland)

I have not checked my box to see but the reason "to resolve a minor display issue in the Navigatr guide" sure makes one think (hope!) that's the case.

[BS]

Hi everybody - if you are now on version .141, we now exist in February, but some people on the main Navigatr thread are reporting that they are still on .139.  Mine I noticed today is fixed, and only change was the software build.

This is why I keep asking for detailed changes of fixes in code - I hadn't seen this topic until today, but for those who were reporting the issue, it would have been nicer to hear not just minor display issue (which leads to guessing), and made a more detailed explanation of:

Reported issue:  Guide is reporting month as "undefined" rather than February since the beginning of the month.

Version .141 is to fix this issue and  users should now see the correct month.

(My guess, someone coding in year 2016 which was a leap year and most siginificant updates were done after February, forgot that all date references should lie in a date table, or be coded in related if-then statements, as an exception to the standard 28 days.  Easy miss, date references and related if-then statements on leap years, and other exceptional years have to be coded and are very common.  Glad they got to it reasonably quickly.)

Bruce

[57]

I'm now on Firmware 0141 and it's February, not "undefined".  Thank you.

All is still not well though. One of my favourite programmes - Vera, is shown on the PVR's IPG on Sunday, February 19th at 12:00 AM (midnight) on Channel 532 HDPBS.  However, the space is blank on "AnyPlace" and therefore doesn't show up in the searches and cannot be programmed from AnyPlace.

These differences between AnyPlace and the PVR's IPG are irritating, but I guess it's something we need to put up with since the databases are not identical...

A huge number of programmes still have generic instead of specific descriptions or no information at all, or incorrect information, etc, as outlined in earlier posts in this thread.

[BS]

@57 - Glad to hear that .141 solved your undefined February - guess we do  know what the "minor display issue in the guide" was now.

I agree, the difference between Anyplace TV and PVR IPG's tables drives me nuts - I never know what is going to happen - Sometimes I make an addition on Anyplace and it doesn't take on the PVR, but then I try to add it and it says it is there, so the two don't necessarily synch the changes in any timely fashion.

But as "those of us in the know", we know that this is just something we learn to live with.

I did a change while I was out of town a couple of weeks ago and my wife was going home for one night - she checked - some of the additions were set, some weren't, so she added them from the box at home.  I then saw the changes she made when I looked at Anyplace PVR listings when she got back.

So, definitely not the most reliable tool, but all we have and not like we haven't brought it up .... how many times?  But considering we didn't have it all for quite a while, a partially working product is better than none, and we find ways to work arond.

As you said, people can see other threads if interested.  There are no shortage of them.

As a side note, my issue of no art in the catalog has gone up to Engineering - no response yet, but only opened the Engineering ticket yesterday morning.  So the first top two layers of the catalog remain grey boxes, or when I go into the category "popular TV shows", I get blank boxes again - example, Big Bang Theory, the text is there fortunately, then I go in, select a show, a low and behold art is there

So something in the triggers to push the art to all levels in On Demand is not functioning on my box

- shades of life with poster art on the first version of PVR listings.

Thanks @57 for updating on your experience with .141

I am hoping that when the end of the week updates to the On-Demand categories happens that the art work will show up again - time will tell.  And just think, I own the box now, and way too much recordings to consider a factory reset - so for now, I live with it, like I do the other weird things.

Since no one else is reporting my weird art issue, mine must be unique.

Bruce

[57]

Discovery Science, Channel 247 where I am, has no programme information at all, just a channel description.

With DST coming this weekend,  AnyPlace on the web is currently showing incorrect times for programming after 2AM Sunday morning.  It shows 1AM and 1:30AM several times and programming after 2AM is shown at the incorrect timeslot.  It looks as though when you use AnyPlace, the PVR picks up on this lousy programming and puts the correct time into the scheduled programming list.

The RAPTV app works properly, as do the Navigatr and SARA IPGs, simply skipping the 2AM timeslot, going to 3AM.  Why AnyPlace is different is beyond me (and obviously beyond the programmers) 😉

[yyz64]

So what will it take to get the ipg to actually show new episodes on HGTV Friday night?I  have series recordings Friday night 9-11 for the Island Life,Beachfront Bargain Hunt,Caribbean Life ,Hawaii Life that don't record because the IPG hasn't tagged them as new anymore.Can Rogers look into this? Hasn't worked in a while I have to manually record them

[57]

For anyone interested in the F1 this weekend, the events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday appear to be "early" by 1 hour.  I've notified TSN and am hereby notifying Rogers. Please correct the situation ASAP.  We suspect this is due to recent changes to DST in the UK or other ineptness.

[yyz64]

Sorry to say but Rogers doesn't seem to care or respond on these messages.

[57]

@yyz64:

Although Rogers rarely responds, they do read the posts and sometimes they get forwarded to the appropriate channels.  It also documents an issue and many of the mods may "file the information", even if only in their personal archives.

It also helps other users and lets me vent.  😉

[BS]

@57 and @yyz64  Very true, we rarely get "official responses" from Rogers back to us, but they do read them, and yes, it does let those of us who have been around long enough to have learned that the frustration of silence is not new to validate your concerns and to vent with you.

It also serves another function - I keep track of my own issues that I have reported on here, and if I and others are not getting solutions, when it comes time to go "officially" to Rogers through the communications channels, I can speak to what I have done already, the amount of time, my inconvience, and that I am not the only one, and point out that I am just looking for solutions so I can enjoy my services, and just pay my bills and that the last thing I really want to do is spending ours hearing nothing back and watching people go through the same things.

Any time I do have to go to tech support on an issue being discussed here, I point them to how many posts are occurring here, and often it has got them to escalate it when they realize they have no more answers than we do.

Bruce

[OLDYELLR]

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@57 wrote:

For anyone interested in the F1 this weekend, the events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday appear to be "early" by 1 hour.  I've notified TSN and am hereby notifying Rogers. Please correct the situation ASAP.  We suspect this is due to recent changes to DST in the UK or other ineptness.

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So what are the correct times? I just record Qualifying and the Race and have those set for 2:55 a.m. Saturday and 1:55 a.m. Sunday, extending each by an hour. Those start times is what I see on the Rogers IPG and Zap2it as well as being close to what Fox Sports has.  Should I extend them another hour?

[57]

Looks like it was the F1 website that was incorrect, Not TSN or Rogers.  They have now corrected the F1 website.

https://www.formula1.com/en.html

[yyz64]

OK so I emailed HGTV  and this is the response I got back

"

Thank you for your inquiry.

HGTV Canada distributes accurate and detailed schedule information to various TV Listings providers, however we are not responsible for updating their actual listings.

The HGTV Canada online schedule: http://www.hgtv.ca/on-tv/schedule/ is your best option for detailed programming information. You can also visit our individual series pages at http://www.hgtv.ca/shows/ and select your desired show to see detailed episode descriptions and schedule information.

Regards,

HGTV Canada"

So it appears to be up to Rogers or whoever is providing their guide information.. HEY ROGERS FIX IT

[57]

So, last Wednesday FX screwed up on their airing of Episode 1 of Fargo. They restarted about 3/4 of the way through, so people missed the ending.

Luckily it re-aired later in the week and I watched that instead since people at Digital Home Forum had advised people of the error. The weird thing is that Episode 1 is 90 minutes long and Rogers IPG shows only 60 minutes on this Wednesday at 9PM for the "re-re-airing".  I'm not sure what they're going to do - air only 60 minutes and miss the ending again, start at 8:30PM, start Episode 2 at 10:30???

[OLDYELLR]

The Zap2it guide shows all episodes to be 60 minutes.

http://tvschedule.zap2it.com/tv/fargo/EP01720858?aid=tvschedule

[57]

@OLDYELLR:  From your link, if you look at Season 3, Episode 1, it's 90 minutes. First aired on April 19.

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The Law of Vacant Places

S03, E01  (First Aired: Apr. 19, 2017)

A petty sibling rivalry between two brothers escalates and brings chaos to a small Minnesotan community.

• Thu 4/27
• 12:28AM-1:57AM

---

If you look at Episode 2, it looks like 75 minutes on April 26/27 and 60 minutes on May 4 - perhaps fewer commercials (more commercials on first airing? )  Or a mistake.

Ep 3 looks like 60 minutes.

[OLDYELLR]

That's odd. I don't see what you see.     I guess you'll find out when you record it.

[57]

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@OLDYELLR wrote:

That's odd. I don't see what you see.     I guess you'll find out when you record it.

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S3, Ep 1 aired last week and I already watched it. It was 90 minutes long (with commercials), per your link and per the quote in my previous post that I copied from your link.  I'm not quite sure why you see something different from me, but perhaps a different browser shows different information.  Or perhaps you have some sort of cookie that takes you to another page.  Try the following link and make sure it appears in your URL exactly as below:

http://tvschedule.zap2it.com/tv/fargo/EP01720858?aid=tvschedule

What I was wondering was how they were going to put the 90 minute episode into one hour this Wednesday, per the Rogers IPG.  Also, the second episode may be longer than the one hour they have in the IPG, per your link. Regardless, I'm have set my PVR to record an extra 30 minutes for S3, Ep 2.  Luckily Fargo airs several times per week allowing people to re-record or re-watch if FX or Rogers screws up, like they did last week.

[57]

For Formula 1 this weekend in Sochi, all of the websites I looked at, including TSN, have all 3 events for Russia starting at 8AM EDT. However, the Rogers IPG shows Qualifying and the Race at 7AM EDT, so be prepared for a mess later this week.

[57]

I see that Rogers have corrected Fargo for this Wednesday. S3, Ep1 is airing at 8:30PM, giving 90 minutes as required.  S3, Ep2 airs at 10:00PM, with a 70 minute timeslot, which may be enough.

Thanks Rogers, now work on F1 on Saturday and Sunday.